By Paul Homewood
Yet another reason not to buy an EV:
The second half of the video is really just PR bilge, and amazingly the presenter thinks the Nissan Leaf is worth every penny. (We need to bear in mind that the video is made by Carwow, who make commission from car sales, so it makes sense for them to drum up interest in EVs).
But here are the facts as presented by him:
- The car, although ten years old, has only done 44000 miles. It cost £1500
- In perfect driving conditions, (no rain, no air con, no heating, no motorway driving) he gets 61 miles from full charge to conking out.
- Nissan’s quoted range for the car as new is 124 miles, though he believes 80 miles is more realistic.
- Therefore the battery appears to have lost about a quarter of its capacity over its life.
So, simple question. What use is a car that is capable of doing probably no more than 30 miles, once driving conditions are factored in, as well as the fact that nobody in his right mind would run a car until it was virtually empty of power/fuel?
As the presenter says, it is no doubt a nice run around for those who would only drive it around town. But most people need a proper car for all purposes.
All of this, of course, impacts second hand values. A three year old car could easily have a mileage of 44,000 on it; but who would want to buy one at the sort of prices petrol cars sell for?
